Description: This course is designed for all pattern evidence practitioners regardless of experience. Examiners will learn principles used with a scientific environment and how to apply these concepts to thoughts, conclusions and to research. Exercises, specific to fingerprints, will demonstrate the value of rigorous application of scientific protocols for arriving at conclusions and for assessing the conclusions of others. Practitioners will gain experience in conveying these concepts which will improve training programs and create testimony which will withstand court challenges.

THE DISCIPLINE of forensic podiatry—or, in other words, the examination of pedal evidence—has progressed significantly over the past ten years. It is no longer a question of “What can you do with a footprint?” but rather, “Who can we use to evaluate the footprint?” Cases involving pedal evidence, especially bloody footprints and issues of determining shoe sizing or fit issues compared to questioned footwear, have become more common over the past two or three years.